The transport aircraft pierced through the clouds, its engines humming with a low, constant growl.
Akira sat strapped into his seat, hands resting on his knees, staring out the small reinforced window.
Tokyo stretched endlessly beneath them.
From above, the city looked peaceful—too peaceful.
Sunlight glinted off glass towers. Traffic flowed like veins of light. No smoke. No screams. No monsters.
Just another morning.
Ren leaned back in his seat, arms folded behind his head, forcing a grin that didn't quite reach his eyes.
"Man," he muttered, "kinda anticlimactic after all that, huh?"
No one answered.
Kaito stared at the dark reflection of his own face in the window beside Akira. The Misoke twins sat perfectly still, backs straight, eyes forward—like statues carved for war.
Across from Akira, Ayla sat with flawless posture.
Her silver hair was tied neatly as always. Her expression was calm. Composed.
Akirawa stood near the cockpit door, arms crossed, coat fluttering slightly with the vibration of the aircraft. His gaze wasn't on them—it was fixed on the city below, sharp and distant.
He spoke without turning.
"Enjoy the silence," he said flatly.
"It won't last."
Ren frowned. "What's that supposed to mean?"
Akirawa finally glanced back, eyes cutting through the cabin.
"That thing you fought," he said. "The autonomous destroyer."
No one spoke.
"It was operating at one-tenth output."
The words landed harder than any blow.
"One… tenth?" Kaito echoed quietly.
Akirawa nodded. "Real Nightmare manifestations don't cap regeneration. They don't pause to let you think. And they don't fight fair just because you're rookies."
His gaze lingered on each of them in turn.
"If you'd charged a real one the way you did back there—"
He shrugged.
"—you'd be dead."
Ren swallowed, jaw tightening.
Akira felt something settle in his chest.
Not fear.
Clarity.
The aircraft began its descent.
Below them, something massive came into view—layered walls, reinforced spires, armored domes connected by thick arteries of steel and light.
The IDHA Tokyo Main Base.
The heart of humanity's resistance against dreams.
The moment they stepped inside, Akira felt it.
The weight.
Corridors hummed with power. Transparent displays floated midair, streaming evacuation routes, threat levels, casualty counts. Senior agents moved with purpose, their steps quick and precise, eyes sharp with experience.
No one ran.
No one panicked.
This was a place of hope.
END OF CHAPTER 7